The House

✨ Chapter Five | Disarray

Ethan and Julian were acting completely off once the party cleared out.

They were definitely mad at each other. No pretending, no affectionate shoulder bumps, no whispering inside jokes. Just... avoidance.

And it made Liam deeply uncomfortable.

Morgan hadn't come out of his room.

Now Liam was on the couch, half-melted into the cushions and smoking weed alone. The buzz was soft now, almost sleepy. He'd basically been partying by himself for the past hour. Trying to stay entertained. Trying not to think about... anything.

"Hey," he called out, not expecting much. "It's still not that late. Do you guys wanna play something?"

"I think I'm gonna go to bed," Ethan slurred from the hallway.

He sounded more exhausted than drunk, but Liam knew he'd been drinking heavier than usual. Probably because he was upset.

"Aw, you're no fun," Liam muttered, disappointed.

"I'll play," Julian said, his voice neutral as he stepped into the room.

Ethan gave Julian a look from the bedroom doorway. Not subtle.

"Fine," he said coldly. "You two play, then."

"What? We already said we would..." Julian muttered, frowning.

Ethan sighed, loudly, and slammed the door shut behind him. The whole house shook.

Julian sank down across from Liam on the living room floor. Liam tried not to laugh as he watched Julian struggle to cross his legs. He was way too bulky for the dainty criss-cross pose.

"So, uh... Cards?" Liam asked, already shuffling the deck on the coffee table. He didn't wait for an answer and started dealing. Crazy Eights wasn't that great with two people, but whatever. He was tipsy. High. On autopilot.

"Hey, Liam," Julian said after a moment. It was weird, just the two of them. This never happened. Julian also didn't usually start conversations. "Is this weird?"

Liam blinked. "Kinda weird," he said, giggling. "You guys are just being drama queens."

Julian didn't laugh. "Ethan didn't tell you why we're fighting?"

Liam looked up from his cards.

Julian was trying to fan his hand out without dropping them, his hair falling into his eyes as he fought the shape of the cards. The sides of his head were buzzed clean, he always kept it sharp, but the top was getting long.

Liam wondered what it'd look like in a mohawk. Like, a real one. With gel. Did people still do that? God, he shouldn't have smoked.

"...Sorry, I'm really high. Did you say something else?"

Julian stared at him. Blank expression. "Doesn't matter."

And then, just when the silence started to stretch into awkward territory, Morgan's bedroom door swung open.

Liam's stomach flipped.

And Morgan? Was shirtless.

Why was he shirtless?

Liam's face burned. He nearly hid behind his cards.

"What're you guys doing?" Morgan asked, tripping the moment he hit the living room rug. He slammed his toe into the corner of the accent chair and crumpled into it with a groan.

Liam could not deal with him right now. He was too high for this.

Julian burst out laughing, and Liam couldn't help but crack up too.